


That Thing With Feathers

by Tallulah_Rasa



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-06 18:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1867659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tallulah_Rasa/pseuds/Tallulah_Rasa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack, Daniel, possibly domesticated mammals, a treaty, and aerodynamics.  Sometimes, in the darkest night, you see the light.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That Thing With Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> I really didn't want to invoke Emily Dickinson, but "Unexpectedly Aliform Even-Toed Ungulates" lacked something as a title.

"I hate this planet," Jack said, pacing the intricately patterned floor of what had to be the most ornate receiving room in the universe.  "I hate this…this palace we're staying in, I hate that Carter and Teal'c weren't allowed to stay, I hatethat annoying Lord Pete and that idiotic Queen Mabel—"  

"Lord P'eyeit and Queen Ma'haybul," Daniel corrected absently from his perch on the window seat.  

"I'm not too crazy about _you_ at the moment, either," Jack continued, but with considerably less steam.  He stopped his pacing, looked up at the richly painted ceiling, and sighed. "This whole mission is a royal pain in the butt," he said.  "I'd like to tell Pete and Mabel that we'll negotiate a treaty with them when—" 

"Pigs fly," Daniel said. 

Jack looked at him, a dark Daniel-shaped blob against a window-framed slab of purplish night sky.  "I was going to say, 'when they can stop arguing about who should sit where at the table,' but that works, too." 

"No," Daniel said.  He turned from the window, lit by a sudden shaft of moonlight, and shot Jack a delighted smile.  "Really.  _Here._   Pigs fly." 

Jack hurried to Daniel's side and looked out onto P27-4NM, where two rosy moons glowed through the scudding night clouds, and the native equivalent of pigs really _did_ fly. 

"This is _so_ cool," Jack said, his eyes never leaving the window. 

"Exactly what I was going to say," Daniel said. 

They watched for a while more.  A few curious pigs, apparently aware of their audience, hovered outside the window, occasionally somersaulting through the night sky and squealing with what sounded like piggy glee. 

"They're _playing,_ " Daniel said in wonder. 

"Wouldn't you, if _we_ could fly?"  Jack asked, finally turning from the window to look at Daniel. 

"Absolutely," Daniel said, putting a gentle hand on the window. 

Jack turned back to the pigs.  "Do you think they'd let me take one back to Earth?  I was thinking about getting a dog, but…" 

"You want a flying pig for a _pet_?" 

"Imagine the possibilities for 'fetch,' " Jack said seriously.  

"And you'd probably never have to walk it," Daniel said.  "But your neighbors might wonder about the—" 

Jack prodded him.  "Let's go." 

Daniel pulled his eyes from the pigs.  "What?" 

"I'm suddenly inspired to negotiate," Jack said.   

"It's the middle of the night," Daniel said.  "Or, at least, I think it is.  I'm not sure about the diurnal cycle here, but it seems that—" 

"No time like the present," Jack insisted.  "Let's send for Pete and Mabel." 

"P'eyeit and Ma'haybul," Daniel said patiently. 

"Whatever," Jack finished.  "Let's make a treaty."

Daniel obediently started gathering his gear.  "They still haven't agreed on the seating arrangements," he pointed out. 

"We'll stand," Jack said firmly as he ushered Daniel to the door. 

"It won't matter; as long as we're around the table in the Great Hall, there'll be protocol issues arising from the—" 

"Then we'll go outside," Jack said.  "What could be better?  We'll negotiate under the moon.  Moons." 

Daniel stopped and considered, running through everything he knew about the culture and traditions of P27-4NM, its taboos, its history, and its linguistic development.  He raised an eyebrow.  "That could work," he conceded.  "But—" 

"I don't want to hear, 'but,' Daniel." 

"I just thought I should point out," Daniel said, "that besides being under the moons, we'd also be under the pigs." 

Jack processed that.  "We'll need hats?" he asked. 

"Big ones," Daniel agreed. 

"Noted," Jack said. 

As they left the room Daniel began chanting the ritual call to negotiation, which almost, but not quite, drowned out the soft swish of wings against the window. 

END

 


End file.
